The present invention relates in general to fishing rods, and more particularly, to fly fishing rods made from fiber reinforced resin.
Fishing rods have been made from tapered hollow tubes for many, many years. The tapered hollow tubes are called blanks. Most modern fishing rods are made from blanks of fiber reinforced synthetic resin. The blanks taper from a butt end having a larger diameter to a tip end having a smaller diameter. Reel seats, grips, line guides, and tips are mounted on the rod blanks to make a finished fishing rod. Fishing rods and, especially fly fishing rods, are often provided in sections so the rod may be transported in a case less lengthy than the assembled rod.
A typical fly fishing rod includes a grip and a mechanism for mounting a reel near the butt end. A series of line guides are attached to the rod along its length ending at the tip end. Line is fed from the reel through the line guides to the tip. In fly fishing particularly, the flexing characteristics of the rod are very important. The flexing characteristics have a major influence on the ability of a fisherman to cast a fly toward a desired location with a desired presentation upon the water. To improve this flexing characteristic, rod builders have used a wide variety of materials and designs. Bamboo has given way to various synthetic reinforced resins to achieve desirable flex characteristics. The taper and weight of the tube forming the rod blank has also been carefully controlled. As rods in their finished states are often sectional, the design of the joint holding the sections together has been carefully thought out to provide appropriate flexing characteristics. Considerable efforts have been expended in designing and building fly rods to achieve flexing characteristics and thus improve casting. However, the perfect fly rod has yet to be achieved.
Applicants have found that damping of the vibration characteristics of a fishing rod over a portion of its length improves its casting characteristics. Such damping can be achieved by the insertion of a damping material into the fly rod over a selected portion of its length. The damping material is selected to attenuate and damp vibrations in the rod thereby improving control over the line and the transfer of energy to the line and fly. Thus, in accordance with the invention, a fishing rod is provided having a damping material incorporated into the rod over a portion of its length.
Still further in accordance with the invention, a fishing rod is provided having a damping material incorporated into the rod over a portion of the length near the tip end only.
Further in accordance with the invention, a fishing rod comprising a tapered, hollow, tubular member is provided with a damping element having a gently tapered conical shape adapted to be received snugly within the hollow rod.
Still further in accordance with the invention, a fishing rod is provided with a tapered damping element having a taper identical to the inside taper of the rod near its tip.
Still further in accordance with the invention, a fishing rod having a hollow tapered body portion is provided with a damping element having a taper to match the inside taper of the body portion near its tip end with the damping element being adhesively bound to the inside surface of the body portion over substantially the entire length of the damping member.
Further in accordance with the invention, a fishing rod is provided having a damping element between the rod blank and the rod grip.
Yet further in accordance with the invention, a fishing rod is provided in which a layer of damping material is positioned around the rod blank and encased by a thin hard cylinder within the grip providing a damping action between the rod and the grip.
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod having improved casting characteristics.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod which provides improved casting control.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod having good flex characteristics and at the same time vibration damping characteristics allowing the fisherman to achieve longer and more accurate casts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod which efficiently transfers energy to the fishing line.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an improved fishing rod providing improved damping characteristics without interfering with other characteristics of the rod or only minimally changing other characteristics in order to enhance the rod""s performance.
These and other objects of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof.